VIENNA: The OPEC Fund for International Development (OFID) has announced the provision of a US$17 million loan to co-finance the reconstruction of the El-Maarouf Hospital in the Comoros, the largest medical facility in the country founded in 1954.

The loan will finance the construction of a 300-bed unit serving the entire population, particularly mothers and children.

The new hospital will be constructed in Moroni, the largest and most accessible city of the Comoros archipelago, an island union with more than 800,000 inhabitants. The hospital will be equipped with specialised healthcare services and offer state-of-the-art clinical, diagnostic and auxiliary services.

The OPEC Fund is partnering in financing the project with the Islamic Development Bank (IsDB), the World Bank Group, the Trade and Development Bank (TDB), a trade and development financial institution operating in eastern and southern Africa, and the government of the Comoros.

OPEC Fund Director-General Abdulhamid Alkhalifa said, “We are pleas
ed to expand our cooperation with the Comoros. The new state-of-the-art hospital will enable citizens to receive modern healthcare services without travelling abroad. We expect the new hospital not only to improve citizens health, but also strengthen the local economy.”

Source: Emirates News Agency